Other Innovative Programs that Support Local Businesses

It’s Our Treat: Honoring Frontline Heroes: The It's Our Treat campaign focused on honoring our local Frontline Heroes by providing lunches and retail gift cards from local member businesses. Capital Blue Cross was the lunch sponsor and First National Bank was the retail gift sponsor. Throughout this pandemic, so many of our frontline workers have dedicated so many hours to ensure our safety, health, and security that the Carlisle Chamber just wanted to say "Thank You". The campaign ran from October 2020 through August 2021.
Think Big Shop Small: Help Carlisle Chamber Member Businesses during these very difficult times by "adopting" them. Each time you sign up to "adopt" a small business you will be pledging to purchase a $25+ Gift Card or spending the equivalent at their place of business. With your help, the Small Business Community will serve and thrive during these times. Remember we are all in this together. Thanks to F&M Trust for being the Think Big, Shop Small Sponsor.
PA30 Day Fund: This is a forgivable loan program for PA-based small businesses called the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund. The forgivable loan is to provide immediate financial assistance (with a max of three days) to meet payroll, preserve healthcare coverage for employees and save jobs while they wait on recently approved federal funding. Find out more about this program. Find out how to support the program through a donation.

LoveBuck$ Program: LoveBuck$ are designed to be a downtown Carlisle global gift certificate program. No matter which participating store or what their point of sale, product, or service is, you can use LoveBuck$. LoveBuck$ are treated as cash. You can pay for all or some of your purchases with LoveBuck$ and will receive any change in US currency. LoveBuck$ are on sale at the Downtown Carlisle Association Offices at 53 West South Street, Lower Level, Carlisle PA 17033. Cash or Check is preferred. To reserve your order amount. Your order will be assembled and you will be called when your order is available for pick-up.

Save Our Smalls (S.O.S): This short-term program was designed to help businesses get through the slowest part of the year (winter) while they awaited additional funding. The premise was simple but effective: individuals were encouraged to donate money. These donations were then used to purchase $300 worth of gift cards or goods from local downtown Carlisle businesses providing them with a quick infusion of cash. The gift cards and products were then given to nonprofit organizations or to workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of saying thank you. The program purchased gift cards from 64 local businesses in downtown Carlisle and supported 17 front-line organizations and charities. Destination Carlisle has been named by the Central Penn Business Journal as one of 26 honorees in their 2021 Nonprofit Innovation Awards, which recognizes individuals and organizations who go above and beyond in their work with nonprofit organizations in the Midstate.

Operation Restaurant Rescue: This initiative was designed to provide income to restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by purchasing hundreds of meals from these local restaurants and distributing them to organizations, individuals, and families in need.